Inverted dancing apparatus



May 24, 1932 J. L. BRIERLEY ET AL 1,359,615

INVERTED DANCING APPARATUS Filed June 15. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 By WW A ttomey- May 24, 1932- J. BRIERLEY ET AL INVERTED DANCING APPARATUS Filed June 15. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I nvenlors ERLE Y, 701V;

Attorney Patented May 24, 1932 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH LLOYD BRIERLEY AND ROY HOLMES LANKTON, F LOS ANGEL-ES, CALIFORNIA INVERTED DANCING APPARATUS Application filed June 15, 1931. Serial No. 544,538.

This invention is an apparatus for suspending theatrical performers in an inverted position from a ceiling or other surface, in such manner as to enable the performers, in

such position, to dance, walk, or otherwise maneuver on said ceiling or surface.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an apparatus as above stated which will be invisible to the audience viewing the performance, whereby the performance is given a natural effect.

Another object is to provide an apparatus as above stated which will be simple in construction, safe, and highly efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings which form a part of this specification and in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stage equipped with our apparatus and showing a number of dancers suspended by our apparatus in an inverted position and in the act of dancing upon the ceiling of the stage, and showing also a number of dancers in the act of dancing upon the floor of the stage.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of our invention.

Fig. 3 is a front view of our invention.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of our invention on an enlarged scale, taken on line 4.-4: of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of our invention on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the harness which is fitted on the body of a performer for suspending the performer in an inverted position by means of our invent-ion.

Fig. 7 is a front view of said harness shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section of the harness taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7

Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters in all the views of the drawings. a

Our invention comprises primarily a track 1, preferably of the monorail type, a carriage 2 which travels on said track, a suspension member 3, suspended from said carriage, and a harness 4 which is fitted on a performer and connected to the lower end of said suspension member for suspending the performer in an inverted posit-ion from said carriage.

The track 1 is suspended from the grid iron 5, above the stage 6 transversely thereof, by clamps 7, cables 8 and eyebolts 9; the jaws 10 and 11 of said clamps gripping the bead 12 along the upper edge of the track 1; the lower end of said cables being connected to the eyes of eyebolts 13 secured in the upper end of said clamps respectively; and the upper end of said cables being connected to the eyes of the eyebolts 9 which are secured to the grid iron 5 by nuts 14-.

A ceiling 15 is supported above the stage 6 on supporting frames 16 which are suspended from the grid iron 5 by means of the cables 8 and clamps 7, said frames being formed with upper cross members 17 and 18 through which the eyebolts 13 of said clamps extend and the cross members 17 resting upon the upper ends of said clamps. Each supporting.

frame 16 is formed with a pair of inner supporting members 19, connected at their upper ends, by a cross member 17, and a pair of outer supporting members 20, connected at their upper ends by a cross member 18, the lower ends 21 of said inner supporting members being bent horizontal and secured to the ceiling 15 by bolts 22, and the lower ends 23 of the outer supporting members 20 being bent horizontal and secured to the ceiling by bolts 24:. The ceiling 15 is provided with a slot 25 extending directly under the track 1 from one side of the stage to the other and between the inner supporting members 19, the lower ends 21 of said supporting members being secured to the ceiling at opposite sides of said slot for supporting the ceiling along the edges of said slot.

The carriage 2 comprises a pair of side plates 26, a pair of rollers 27 journaled on the ends respectively of each of said plates on the inner side thereof, and a rod 28 extending transversely of the carriage below said rollers and connecting said side plates, the rollers 27 on each plate 26 resting upon a track member 29 at one side of the track 1, and the connecting rod 28 extending under said track.

The suspension member 3 comprises a pair of suspension links 30, a suspension axle 31, a swivel coupling 32, a buckle 33, an eyebolt 34, a supporting cable 35, and an emergency cable 36. The links 30 are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the carriage 2, outside the plates 26, by means of the connecting rod 28, while the suspension axle 31 is connected at its ends to the lower ends of said links. The swivel coupling 32 comprises an end thrust bearing 37 and a bail 38 secured to the non-rotatable member of said bearing and resting upon said suspension axle. The journal 39 of said end thrust bearing is provided with a transverse opening 40 below the hearing through which extends the upper end of the buckle 33. The lower end portion of the buckle 33 is provided with a threaded vertical bore 41 through which the threaded shank 42 of the eyebolt 34 extends in threaded engagement therewith, there being a lock nut 43 on said threaded shank engaging the lower end portion of the buckle 33 to prevent turning of the eyebolt in said buckle. The upper end of the supporting cable 35 is detachably connected to the eye of the eyebolt 34 by means of a snap hook 44.

The harness 4 comprises a body 45, a pair of straps 46, a belt 47 ring 48 for connection to the supporting cable 35, and eye 49 for connection to the emergency cable 36. The body is formed with a neck opening 50, arm openings 51, and leg openings 52, and is split in the front upwardly from the neck, as at 53 so that the body may be spread apart to be slipped on the performers, there being apertures 54 in the front of the body along both sides of the split 53 through which a raw hide string 55 is laced and tied as at 56. The body 45 is formed with a crotch 57 which fits in the crotch of the performer.

The straps 46 extend over the front and back of the body over the crotch 57, and over the shoulders respectively of the body, and said straps are sewed or otherwise secured to the body as indicated at 58. The belt 47 ex tends around the waist of the body over the straps 46, and is secured to the back of the body by stitching 59 along the edges of the belt, and by rivets 60, which also extend through and secure the straps 46, to the body and to the belt. The belt is split in front, forming a pair of belt straps 61, which are not secured to the body, the ends of each of said straps being buckled together by buckles 62. The crotch 57 of the body together with the straps 46 extend through the ring 48 and securely connect the ring to the body as illustrated in Fig. 8. The eye 49 for the emergency cable is secured to the back portion of the belt 47 in back of the body 45. The supporting cable 35 has a snap hook 63 on its lo end for engaging the ring 48, whereby the lower end of said cable is detachably connected to the harness 4 for supporting the performer in an inverted position. The emergency cable 36 has a snap hook 64 on its lower end for engaging the eye 49 for detachably connecting the harness 4 to said cable and a snap hook 65 is secured on the upper end of the emergency cable for detaehably connecting said end of said cable to the eye of the eyebolt 34.

The operation of our invention is as follows:

The carriage 2 being moved along the track to one side of the stage and the upper ends of the supporting cable 35 and emergency cable 36 being connected to the eye of the eyebolt 34 by their snap hooks 44 and 65 respectively, the lower ends of said cables are connected by their lower snap hooks 63 and 4 respectively to the ring 48 and eye 49 on the harness 4, which is fitted on the performer with the body 45 of the harness fitted on the body of the performer with the performers legs extending through the leg openings 52, arms extending through the arm openings 51, and head extending through the neck opening 50, and the front of the body laced with the raw hide string 55, whereby, the performer is suspended in an inverted position from the carriage 2 by said cable 35 and suspension member 3 at such elevation that the performers feet may be placed on the ceiling 15 for dancing, walking, standing or otherwise maneuvering on the ceiling. The performers may swing sidewise from the pivot 28 on which the links 30 turn and also on the axle 31 on which the bail 38 turns and the performer is enabled to turn by means of the swivel 32. 5y walking, dancing or otherwise maneuvering on the ceiling with his or her feet the performer may cause the carriage 2 together with the 1 erformer to travel along the track 1 out over the stage where the performer may perform before the audience by dancing, standing or otherwise maneuvering on the ceiling. When the performer has completed his or her performance he or she may move off the ceiling to one side of the stage by dancing, walking or otherwise maneuvering on the ceiling whereby the carriage 2 together with the performer is caused to travel along the track 1 to one side and behind the wings of the stage.

A number of performers may perform on the ceiling at the same time in one row suspended from one track 1 at suitable distances apart or two or more tracks may be provided for suspending and enabling two or more rows of performers to perform at the same time with the rows of performers one behind the other as illustrated in Fig. 2.

If the supporting cable 35 of a performer should break the emergency cable 36 would support the performer and prevent the performer from falling.

We claim as our invention:

1. An apparatus as disclosed comprising a track, a carriage movable along said track, a suspension member suspended from said track, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension member in an inverted position.

2. An apparatus as disclosed comprising a suspension member suspended from a suitable support, a harness fitted on a performer and extending through the crotch of the performers, and means for connecting said suspension member to said harness in the crotch of the performer.

3. In combination with a ceiling, a suspension member extending through said ceiling, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension means in an inverted position and at such elevation as to enable the performer to place his feet upon the ceiling.

4t. In combination with a ceiling provided with a slot, a track mounted above said slot, a carriage mounted to travel on said track, a suspension member suspended from said carriage through said slot, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension member in an inverted position.

5. An apparatus as disclosed comprising a track, a carriage movable along said track, a swivel suspension member suspended from said carriage, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension member in an inverted position.

6. An apparatus as disclosed comprising a track, a carriage movable along said track, a suspension member pivotally suspended from said carriage, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension member in an inverted position.

7. An apparatus as disclosed comprising a track, a carriage movable along said track, a swivel suspension member pivotally suspended from said track, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension member in an inverted position.

8. In combination with a ceiling a swivel suspension member suspended through said ceiling, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension member in an inverted position at such elevation that the performer may place his feet upon the ceiling.

9. In combination With a ceiling, a swivel suspension member pivotally suspended through said ceiling, and means for suspending a performer from said suspension memher in an inverted position at such elevation 

